English Premier League Fixtures, Previews, Picks: Manchester United-Liverpool, One Derby To Rule Them All

But before we get to that, their nine other matches that will define the fifth match day in the English Premier League.

I put this ten because you’re expecting me to, with the worst team in the league against another that’s holding a relegation spot. Regardless, I’m actually looking forward to this one, though admittedly that has a lot to do with my preseason predictions. I think Stoke is much better than their current 18th place. Now with their fixture list evening-out, I look for them to show it.

Stoke’s direct brand of play has almost become cliché, but it will serve them very well against a weak West Ham central defense. At the other end of the pitch, West Ham has failed to show the movement or creativity needed to tax a steady but stoic Stoke back line.

West Ham will be missing manager Avram Grant, absent in observance of Yom Kippur. So perhaps they have a chance. After all, West Ham has never won a league match managed by Avram Grant.

Who knows what to expect from Wigan? Neither a 2-0 win nor a 0-6 loss would surprise anybody, and with a seemingly, increasingly error-prone Kolo Touré in Manchester City’s defense, the Latics could use the formula that got them three at White Hart Lane, find a late goal, and continue their unbeaten run. City, however, has not allowed more than one goal in a match this season, and while Roberto Mancini’s approach always leaves a scoreless draw in play (particularly, on the road), the Citizens are more likely than not to score against a club that’s allowed the second-most goals in the league.

Should Keane play against his former club, you could see Wolves continue their success against Spurs, from whom they took six points last year (after not beating them in nearly 30 years). Keane was worse than ineffectual on Tuesday, after he replaced Rafael van der Vaart. He was destructive. He disrupted Spurs’ attack, killing each movement at the point the ball reached his feet. If he has a similar effect on Saturday’s match, Spurs’ winless streak could reach four.

It’s a derby, friends, even if it’s a minor one. Both of these clubs’ eyes, they have bigger fish to fry in greater Birmingham, but the connection adds a nice dimension to a match that would otherwise set-up as a litmus test for the Blues.

Currently sitting fifth and coming off a ninth place finish last season, City has the look of a team ready to challenge for Europe. To do so, Alex McLeish’s team needs to get three points from matches like these - on the road against weaker, relatively impotent sides.

With two goals through four matches, West Brom poses little threat to Birmingham City. Peter Odemwingie’s addition was supposed to spark the Baggies, but even after his arrival, Brom has been unable to register a goal-per-game rate. While they have gotten four points in their two home matches, West Brom may lack the punch needed to take three from the Blues, a team that’s scored two goals in three of their four league matches.

Including their Europa League playoff, Aston Villa has played six matches this season and have only looked good once: their 3-0 win over West Ham. As this sample size grows and Villa continues to underwhelm, we need to entertain the notion that Villa might not be that good. Yes, they sit seventh in league, but they’re essentially a break-even team that’s ranked higher thanks to the three-point-win rule. Given their opening fixture list - having yet to play a team placed above 14th in the league - they may not prove to be break-even.

The argument against that line of thinking: Arsenal is different this year. They’re better, a refrain we seem to hear every September. This year, it could prove true. This is, after all, a team that’s scored 18 goals in their last four games and has arguably the best player in the league, Cesc Fabregas. We saw Fabregas will Arsenal through tough matches last season, before his leg injury. Perhaps the captain will see the Gunners to three in the northeast?

Two teams near the bottom, and it’s the number two match of the weekend. That’s the kind of fixture list we have on the fifth week of the season. At the same time, there is something romantic about Newcastle returning to venues they haven’t seen in two years - grounds we had become accustomed to seeing them play each season. Everton hosting Newcastle just feels very Premier League.

Everton will be hoping to carry over confidence from their dramatic, Sunday draw with Manchester United. Still, you would think six days break and the realization that they still sit 19th would be enough to diminish their cloud. After a week to rest on their laurels, Everton finds itself in the same place as last week - home match, needing three points to jump-start their season. It’s almost as if the United result doesn’t matter.

Newcastle was stunned last week by Blackpool, a team they finished 32 points ahead of in last year’s Championship. It was a wake-up call for Chris Houghton’s team. The Magpies’ re-start in the Premier League had been smooth. Running into Matthew Gilks may ultimately serve as a reminder of the perils of life at the top-level.

Renewing the rivalry that defines English football, Manchester United welcomes Liverpool to Old Trafford for the first North West Derby of the Roy Hodgson era.

Dealing with Scholes is another problem for Liverpool. As Rooney has failed to regain his 2009 form, the veteran midfielder has become United’s best and most important player. Lacking another distributor, United relies on Scholes’ passing - particularly his long diagonals to the right from his deep-sitting position. This deployment means Joe Cole’s defending could be vital for Liverpool. Cole could be counted-on to track back and limit Scholes’s ability to sit comfortably on the ball.

Hodgson has a number of other options in dealing with Scholes (asking Steven Gerrard to handle him, starting Raul Meireles), but unless Liverpool makes an adjustment, it’s going to be too easy for United to get the ball wide right and attack the left side of Liverpool’s defense.

Predictions